Hero TV After Midnight
by Em Lee Squared
Summary: Agnes has something very special in mind for a special segment of her late-night program - a feature presentation to appeal to her older audiences, Barnaby included. Based off an anon request from Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

He wasn't sure how he ended up tied to a bed with a headache so bad he couldn't see straight, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the Apollon staff party and all those shots.

What the _fuck_.

"Antonio," Kotetsu croaked out in a hoarse voice. "If you're behind this I'll rip out so much of your chest hair you'll never-"

"I don't know who _you're _talking about, Tiger, but he certainly wasn't the one who did _this _lovely work."

A familiar, slightly husky voice tinged with a French accent made it's way, sickeningly sweet, to Kotetsu's ears. He knew _exactly_ who the voice belonged to, and that knowledge twisted his stomach. Afraid to look up and yet unable to keep his eyes away, he craned his neck back as far as he could to see the face of the culprit behind this - Agnes Joubert. That bitch of a producer, wearing some sort of skimpy leather get up that did nothing to hide her voluptuous breasts.

With one long, slender finger, she traced along the intricate silk ropes holding Kotetsu's wrists firmly to the bedposts and smiled wickedly.

Kotetsu struggled for words. "Miss Joubert, is this _really _necess-"

The words stopped in his throat when he saw the riding crop.


	2. Chapter 2

She had threatened to do it, but Kotetsu thought it had been a joke. Of course Agnes wouldn't _actually _include a short clip of the great Wild Tiger helplessly tied to a bed begging for someone to untie him. Of course she wouldn't _actually _punish him so severely just for a bit of good-natured complaining here and there. The problem was that she _did_.

Nathan couldn't decide if the clip was real or just portrayed by an actor with a disturbing resemblance to one of his lifelong friends. But the fire-wielder knew that look that Kotetsu got in his eyes when he was drunk – he had seen that look for years – and it was most definitely there. The man on the screen was, without a doubt, Kotetsu. Terrified, the oldest member of the Girls' Club covered Pao-Lin's eyes while the rest of the heroes sat in the lounge of their gym and just tried to get their brains to _function _again.

"Kotetsu, _darling_, please tell me that didn't actually- "

"No, of course not, it's a fake," Kotetsu replied quickly, sharply. "That's most definitely a fake. I've never, that never, this is ridiculous."

Karina had her face buried in a towel, trying to block out the images being fed to her.

Ivan was more enthralled with the artistically knotted silk ropes. He had heard about that. It was a Japanese tradition… _shibari_, wasn't it?

The one hero that had gone mysteriously missing was Barnaby. Not that anyone noticed. Hero TV was much more interesting than Barnaby's whereabouts at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Barnaby had awoken in a hospital room before, but every time he had known immediately upon awakening that there was something very _wrong _with him. This time, however, when white-washed walls invaded his vision and industrial cotton sheets surrounded his body, he knew for a fact that he was perfectly fine. He wiggled his fingers and flexed his feet, moved his neck from side to side – he was fine.

And then he noticed the IV in his arm.

And the clear tube leading up to a bag hanging above his bed.

A bag full of blood.

Everything came rushing back then. He and the other heroes had been taking a break from training like usual, lounging around in the gym and gathered around a mounted TV constantly fixed on Hero TV. It was rather late in the day – all of them were there late for additional simulation training. Something the sponsors required, some shit they didn't actually need since simulations were nothing like the real thing. The reports and rankings had been shown on screen as usual, along with some interesting footage all conglomerated from the past week. The typical host and announcer had then come on screen claiming to have some exclusive footage that would be shown only once and would be of interest to a great number of the channel's adult fans.

Barnaby had only had to lay eyes on the footage before him for a second before his face had flushed so hot he was positive it was on fire and his heart had beat so hard in his chest it was painful. He remembered there being some blood on his hands after he had put them up to his mouth to stifle an idiotic gasp.

It had indeed been a nosebleed of epic proportions.


End file.
